Published 04/24/2018 11:41:00 CET
The average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of new vehicles increased by 0.4%
MADRID, Apr. 24 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Gasoline-powered vehicles last year became the best-selling type of car in the European market, ahead of diesel for the first time since 2009, after a drop in market share of 5.1 percentage points over to the previous year (from 49.9% to 44.8%).
Thus, gasoline vehicles accounted for almost half of the sales of passenger cars in Europe in the past year, with 49.4% of total registrations, according to the Economic and Market Report 2017 of the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers. (ACEA).
In 2017, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA), the average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of new vehicles increased by 0.4%, to 118.5 grams per kilometer, which translates into the first annual rise since records began in 2010.
In 17 member states of the European Union (EU), CO2 emissions were higher than in 2016, including some of the main markets such as the United Kingdom (+ 0.8%), France (+ 0.6%), Spain ( + 0.5%) and Germany (+ 0.1%). In Poland and the Netherlands, they rose to 1.43% and 2.27%, respectively.
The Secretary General of the ACEA, Erik Jonnaert, warned that this change in trend, together with a “relatively low” penetration of alternative vehicles, will have a “tangible impact” on CO2 emissions from the new fleet of cars in Europe. .
“Looking ahead, this will pose serious challenges to meet the CO2 targets, not only those proposed for 2030, but also those already established by 2020,” he said.
The market share of vehicles with electric charge increased 0.4 percentage points last year in the ‘Old Continent’ compared to 2016, from 1.1% in 2016 to 1.5%.
According to Jonnaert, this “moderate” growth is a clear message from consumers: “too many barriers”, such as the lack of infrastructure, the price of these types of vehicles and their autonomy.
“Part of the CO2 reductions will depend to a large extent on the greater sale of electric vehicles and other alternative vehicles, so these barriers must be addressed urgently,” he urged.
The European body stressed that the data of the EES also show that the average mass of new cars sold in the EU remained practically the same as in previous years, which shows “clearly” that the increase in CO2 emissions in 2017 does not it is due to higher sales of larger and heavier diesel engines, “contrary to what some claim.”